Hyderabad, June 24 -- A passport is a travel document that attests nationality when an Indian is abroad, and should not be construed as proof of citizenship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Wednesday, June 24, while noting that 14.7 million chip-based e-passports have been issued since their rollout last year.

Speaking on the occasion of Passport Seva Divas, observed on June 24 to mark the enactment of the Passports Act in 1967, ministry officials said e-passports currently make up about 10 per cent of all passports issued, with all new passports now chip-based.

"A passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies," an official said.

E-passport features

The e-...